Since when do constitutional questions of compelled speech turn on how much a particular compelled speech might cost? If the government can violate the restrictions placed on it in a written constitution, what value does it serve? It sort of sounds like guarantees of religious freedom under the Soviet Constitution.

Responding to a lawsuit filed by five of the nation's largest cigarette manufacturers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration filed Friday to block any delay to new regulations requiring graphic warning labels on cigarette packages. The tobacco companies are suing the agency in U.S. District Court...

Regular readers will notice a minor design change: All Amazon-related links and ads have been deleted. I'm a longtime Amazon Associate. I never made big bucks at it; in some years, I didn't make enough to even get a 1099 form. It did pay my TypePad fees though. Unfortunately, in a moronic attemp...

The best path to breaking a filibuster is for Obama to do what Clinton did to get RBG onto the SCOTUS. Clinton complied a list of desired appointees, then asked Hatch and other leading opponents to strike the ones they would be guaranteed to oppose. RBG was about 1/2 way down the list. She got 92 votes. Obama could learn a lot from Clinton.

Updated at 4:21 p.m. Three Republicans who have rarely supported filibusters of judicial nominees said today they will vote to filibuster appellate nominee Goodwin Liu, a bad omen for Liu a day before a crucial Senate vote. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Johnny Isakson (Ga.) and John ...

Please correct me if I am wrong but, by international law, war can only be declared and fought between governments. A non-governmental-organization like Al-Qaeda, and certainly not individuals, is unable to declare war. Any purported military actions by such NGOs are crimes not acts of war, no matter on what scale they occur. If my limited knowledge of international law is accurate, then we could never have a war on terrorism or a war against Al-Qaeda but rather some form of police action. Question posed - Anything wrong with a SWAT team taking out a suicide bomber before the bomb goes off?
Personally, Muchas Gracias to every one of those rough men who allow me to sleep safely at night.

The killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is engaging some of the thorniest questions of the United States' post-Sept. 11 campaign against terrorism, including the government's legal justification for carrying out the targeted killing of suspected terrorists. Lawyers who specialize in nation...